Fuel-vaporizer



LE ROY WERTS.

FUEL VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.27, 19w.

1,817,248. PatentedSept. 30, 1919.

LE ROY WEBIS, OIE MILFORD, MISSOURI.

FUEL-VAPORIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent. v Patgnted Se t, 30 1919 Application filed October 27, 1917. Serial 110. 199,209.

To all whom it may concern: m

Be it known that I, Ln RoY Wn'n'rs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lllilforchin the county 'of Barton and State of Missouri,.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FuelVaporizers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to carburetersor vaporizing apparatus and chiefly tosuch apparatus for use with kerosene or the like as fuel for the operation of motor car engines. One object of the invention is to produce a simple, strong, durable, efficient and economical fuel Vaporizer.

A further object is to utilize the heat of exhaust gases from the engine for cooperating in the vaporization of the fuel.

. Another object is to provide means whereby either light or heavy liquid fuel may be supplied for vaporizing purposes, and

7 whereby a charge of either of such fuels in the vaporization chamber may be evacuated in the event it is desired to change from one fuel to the other.

With these general objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that the invention may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which i 2 Figure 1, is a diagrammatic view of apparatus embodying the-invention.

Fig. 2, is a side view of the apparatus, with the dash of a motor car, shown in vertical section. r

Fig. 3, is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the vaporizer element of the apparatus. Fig. 4:, is a diagrammatic view of a resistance coil forming part of thevaporizer-element.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged central section of a valve whereby the character of the fuel employed in the vaporizer is controlled. 7

In the said drawing, 1 and 2, indicate supply pipes leading respectively from suitable tanks, (not shown) for holding two kinds of liquid fuel, such as gasolene and kerosene, to chambers 3 and l, controlled by valves, (not shown) and communicating respectively with chambers 5 and 6, which chambers are of that type having floats,

(not shown) for operating the valves of chambers 3 and 1, so as to .automatlcally regulate the volume of liquid fuel suppliedby pipes 1 and 2. As the, float chambers I may be of conventional type the construction thereof is not detailed. I

Adjacent the float chambers, is a valve for selectively controlling the character of fuel to be used, said valve being constructed as follows: 7 is a tapering shell containing a rotary plug valve 8, provided with an intake port 9', for communicating with either of a pair of ports 10 and 11, of the shell, which ports are respectively connected by pipes 12 and 13, with the float chambers 5 and 6, so that gasolene or kerosene may enter the hollow or chamber of the plug valve according to the adjustment thereof. The plug is also provided with drain ports 18 and 1 1, at the lower end, the ports 13 and 14: being adapted respectively for simultaneous com: munication with the shell or casing port 19 and with a drain port 15, in the shell, and from said last-named port, a drain pipe 16,

leads to a convenient point of discharge. The valve is furthermore provided with diametrically opposite ports 17 and 18, in a plane between the intake and drain ports,

said ports 17' and 18'communicating respectively with the shell port 19, when plug port 9' commun cates respectively with shell ports 10,-or'11'.

' A pipe 20, leads from shell port 19to the I lower end of a vaporizer, which is so related chambers and supply the vaporizer, or effect the drainage of the latter, a stem "2'lextends from theplug through the dash22, of the car and is provided with a handle 23, which the driver adjusts with, respect'to a marked disk24t, containing opposite marks G and K,

for= gasolene and kerosene respectively, a mark D, for drainage, and 'a markN for neutral. The adjustment of the handle to. a

,point corresponding to a particular mark indicates the position of, the plug valve.

'lChe vapomzer 25, is preferably provided with a heavy core which may consist of a valve-controlled branch pipe 26 of the eX- haust manifold of the engine, so that the heat therefrom canbe utilized in raising the temperature ofthe liquid fuel entering the vaporizer frompipe 20. The outerwall 27 of the vaporizer is preferably .ofthin'metal, andits chamber is partitionedfrom oneend thereof to the other by a spiral partition 28,

so that liquid fuel entering the vaporizer at one end from pipe 20, shall travel in a thin stream to the opposite end of and escape from the vaporizer in the form of a vapor, through tlle'pipe 219,

The vapor discharge pipe 29 communicates with the intake manifold 30 of the engine, and is provided within said intake manifold with a jet nozzle 31, for discharging vapor into said manifold, and toregulate the volume of vapor or liquid fuel pass 7 ing to said nozzle, zpipe 29 is rovide d with a needle-valve lhe inta e manifold is provided withthe-usu-al auxiliary air intake passage 33, controlled by the customary check valve 34E, not detailed.

A ca ing 5,- f in la ing mat r al, r i v d d with .a series of contacts 36,, extending into a longitudinalgroove 37 ,"and electrie cally connected to or'engaged therein with a ies cf'ccnta o a esista ce or eat,- ing- 0i13 fitti g sn gly around the vapor-f i291 so that heat generated in the coil shall effect vaporization of liquid fuelin'the' vaporizer, the inner wall 40,-of the coil being preferably of thin metal-to facilitate the heating .Ofthe vaporizen I A bracket 4:1, is secured to the casing and formsajourn-al bearing for one end of a shaft 42, operable from the drivers seat, and

; mounted on said shaft is a contact arm 4:3,

V out passing through the heating coil and.

' After the engine has been started, the va- T for successive engagement with said contacts 36. A wire 4 extends from the bracket 41,

a two-way switch 45., adapted to close against-either of a pair of contact posts 4:6 or 4:7, and the latter is connected by a wire a8, to a storage battery 49., The battery is connectedby a wire .50, to one endof the heating coil,- and by a wire51, to a generator 52. The generator is connefited bya wire 53, to con tact post 4C6,

[t will be apparent that-when contact arm 4:3 is in theposition shown by Fig. 4, and

the switch is engaging the contact post e7, the current willfiow from the batterywithhence generate noheat, and that by shifting the said arm onto the successively presented contacts 36, ln leasing lengths of the 0011 are brought into the circuit for the purpose of generating the desired volume of heat for vaporization 0f the liquid in the vaporizer.

When the is positioned so that the current shall flow through the entire length of the coil, it is intended that sufficient heat shall be generated to almost instantly vaporize the liquid fuel passing through the vaporizer so that the vapor when mixed with air, shall be susceptible of instant explosion and therefore suitable for starting the. engine even though the same is cold.

porizer can be cut out of circuit with the storage battery and into circuit with the 7 port is open; V V 4. The combination of a liquid fuel vapor izer, means 'forf'heating the same-a pairofgenerator, by moving the switch lever. from contactpost 4L7 to contact post 46. The arm 43 can then be adjusted tocut out part of the coil and thereby diminish the amount of current consumption to that volume which experience directs as necessary for effecting proper operation of the engine. After the engine has "been in operation long enough to get thoroughlywarmed up, it will only be necessary to keep :thelkerosene heated to the flashing point, which is ordinarily about 1.50

degrees Fah. If conditions warrant; the circulation of current'fromthe storage battery or generator, may be arrested by opening the switch. 7 p

The apparatus as shown can be usedon cars lacking a starting system or "equipped;

with such" system. On cars lacking such system the entire'app'aratus will be used so that they can be startedon gasolene andth'en switched to kerosene. I Cars having'anelec trio starter can start and run on kerosene. From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced: akerosene vaporizing apparatus which can be operated efiiciently and'eco'nomically, and by which an engine can be started as well as maintained in operation, and while I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understoodthat it is susceptible of modification in various particuchambers and a pair of discharge portsfor respective discharge accordingly asthe firstnamed port receives from oneof saidcham 'bers or the other."

, 2. The combination er a liquid: sleiya;-

porizer, means to heat the saIne, .a pairfof chambers fordifi'e'rent liquid fuels, and inanually operable meansfor effecting the-transmlsslon of fuel from either of said chambers to the vaporizer, for shutting off the supply of fuel from both simultaneously, and. for dra1n1ng the vaporizer of its contentslwhile the said supply chambers are bothcut off. 1

' 8. The combination of a liquid fuel vapor izer, means. to heat the same, a pairof chamchambers and apair of discharge ports for respective discharge accordingly as thefirstbers for different liquid fuels, a hollowvalve having aportto receive from either ofsaid' named port receives from oneof said charm I bers or the'other; sald valvealso having a fourth port between said pair of ports and a dram port'for operation whenthe fourth chambers for difierent liquid fuels, a valve casing having a pair of ports respectively connected to said chambers, a single discharge port connected to said vaporizer, and a drain port; and a valve in said casing having a receiving port for registration with either of said pair of ports, a pair of discharge ports for respective registration with said single discharge port of the casing accordingly as the first-named valve port registers with one of said pair of easing ports or the other, and a pair of drain ports, one for communication with the drain port of said casing and the other adapted to register with the discharge port of the valve casing when the receivingport of the valve is not in communication with either of the said pair of easing ports.

5, The combination of a liquid fuel vaporizer, means to heat the same, a pair of chambers for difi'erent liquid fuels, a hollow valve having a port to receive from either of said chambers and a pair of discharge ports for respective discharge according as the first-named port receives from one of said chambers or the other; said valve also having a fourth port between said pair of ports and a drain port for operation when the fourth port is open, and means for indicating the adjustment of the Valve.

In witness whereof, I hereunto affix my signature, at Towanda, in the county of Butler and State of Kansas, this 18th day of LE ROY WERTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

